Cannon
__NOEDITSECTION__ "Cannons are great for point defense. Upgrade cannons to increase their firepower, but beware that your defensive turrets cannot shoot while being upgraded!" ---- ---- *'Summary' **Cannons are the first defensive structure that a player will receive at the start of their Clash of Clans adventure. **Cannons are both cheap and quick to upgrade at lower levels. **Cannons can shoot any ground units, such as Barbarians, but not any air units, such as the Dragon. ---- *'Defensive Strategy' **Cannons have a high rate of fire and a decent range, which makes them an ideal deterrent for Wall Breakers (which have extremely low health). **Cannons are very useful for keeping Giants from attacking other defenses. Defend Mortars and Wizard Towers by placing them within range of Cannons. Make sure Cannons are placed within range of Air Defenses, because Cannons are unable to target air units (or at least in range of an Archer Tower or Wizard Tower). **Upgrade these structures and Mortars first at lower levels, as they are one of your main ground defenses. **It is a good idea to upgrade these structures to level 10, as they become very intimidating to potential attackers, possibly causing them to skip your village. *'Offensive Strategy' **Cannons are one of only two defensive units that cannot attack air units, the other being the Mortar. However, they are the cheapest and most common defensive structure available. This makes them easy pickings for Balloons, Dragons or Minions if they are not within range of Air Defenses, Archer Towers or Wizard Towers. Cannons are also only able to damage one unit at a time. This makes it very easy to overwhelm them with large groups of Archers or Barbarians. Even though this is a weakness, remember that the Cannon also puts out a decent shot per second. ---- *'Upgrade Differences' **Cannons undergo significant visual changes at levels 7, 10, 11 and 12. The Cannon barrel and support platform both increase in size at almost every level. ***When initially constructed, the Cannon consists of a short dark metal barrel mounted on a crude four-legged wooden platform. ***At level 2, the Cannon's base receives a wooden stabilizer tied to the legs with ropes. ***At level 3, the Cannon's leg stabilizer becomes stouter. The base itself rotates 45 degrees within the 3x3 square (ostensibly to accommodate the later, larger upgrades of the Cannon). ***At level 4, the Cannon barrel receives two decorative latitudinal ridges, one midway along the barrel and one at the rear. The platform's leg stabilizer is removed in favor of a larger and stouter main support platform with much shorter legs. ***The level 5 Cannon base's wooden legs are replaced with metal ones and its metal ring which it pivots on gets wider. ***At level 6, the Cannon base receives a pair of what appear to be metal clamps or straps on opposite sides of the platform to anchor the barrel more firmly to the rotational mount. ***At level 7, the wooden base is discarded for a white stone or metal platform with four short brass-trimmed legs. The Cannon barrel's decorative ridge center ridge is trimmed with a ring of brass. ***At level 8, the other decorative ridge around the rear of the barrel also receives brass trimming, as well as a pair of opposing brass straps or clamps securing it to the platform. ***At level 9, the Cannon receives a third brass-trimmed decorative ridge around the muzzle of the barrel, and two additional brass straps or clamps perpendicular to the original pair. ***At level 10, the Cannon barrel is entirely made of brass. The rear of the Cannon barrel receives triangular reinforcing plates, and the platform's legs become dark metal trimmed in brass. ***At level 11, the Cannon barrel is transformed into black metal, and the base receives prominent black footings. ***At level 12, the Cannon is accented with a red ring around the barrel as well as red crystals on each corner of the base to act as the footing. The brass strap on the base receives a dark red band. ---- *'Trivia' **In a recent update, the graphics for Level 7 and Level 8 Cannon changed slightly. **You are forced to make a Cannon during the tutorial. **When viewing your village, the Cannons will appear to aim randomly about. However, they will always be (generally) aiming away from the Town Hall. If the Cannons (or the Town Hall) are moved, the Cannons will slowly orient themselves to again point away from the Town Hall's new relative location. This remains true even when the Cannons are being upgraded (except that upgrading Cannons always instantaneously point directly away from the Town Hall with no random movement). **The Cannon is able to rotate in a full 360 degrees.